Reawakened by the Surgeon's Touch (6 page)

CHAPTER FIVE

D
INNER
THAT
NIGHT
was a lively affair. Whether it was the fact that they had someone new in the form of Jude Slater to entertain them, but everyone seemed in very high spirits. Claire collected her plate from Moses, their cook, and carried it to the table. They always ate together of an evening, gathered at one end of the huge refectory table that ran the full length of the dining room. Lesley had lit the storm lantern and she placed it on the table. She grinned when Jude looked at it in surprise as he came back from the serving hatch.

‘It's less for atmosphere than practicality,' Lesley informed him. ‘It's rare we ever get through an evening meal without the power going off, so we follow the old Girl Guide motto and make sure we're prepared.'

‘Oh, I see.' Jude glanced round but there was only one seat left, the one next to Claire. His reluctance to sit in it was obvious and it stung. For some reason she had become persona non grata in his eyes.

Claire edged her chair away as he sat down, not wanting to risk coming into contact with him. Lesley had lent her a dress, quite a pretty one too, made from pale pink cotton with short sleeves and a modestly scooped neck. She hadn't bothered fastening back her hair, just left it loose around her shoulders, and she was aware of Jude's eyes skimming over her but determinedly applied herself to her meal. What he thought of her appearance was neither here nor there!

‘This is rather good. What is it exactly?'

She glanced round when he spoke, feeling her heart catch when she found herself staring straight into his eyes. A rich warm hazel with flecks of gold around the irises, they seemed to draw her in and hold her spellbound. It was only when she saw one elegant black brow arch that she remembered he was waiting for her to answer.

‘Mutton stew. It's one of Moses' signature dishes, so he tends to make it quite often,' she gabbled. She forked up a mouthful of the spicy concoction to give herself time to calm down but her heart was still behaving in a highly erratic fashion. ‘Apparently, his mother used to make it for him—it's her recipe.'

‘Clever mum. And clever Moses for getting the recipe off her.' Jude forked up some of the vegetable that had been served with it and grimaced. ‘I'm not sure about this though. It's a bit like sweet potato but incredibly dry and stringy.'

‘It's yam. I wasn't too keen on it either but I've got used to it now. The trick is to never eat it on its own. Mix some gravy into it to make it more palatable,' she advised, feeling a little easier now that the conversation was centred on such mundane matters.

‘Mmm, better, although I doubt if I'll be adding it to my shopping list when I get home.'

Javid claimed his attention then and he turned away. Claire continued to eat, letting the conversation flow over her. Normally, she would have joined in but for some reason she felt strangely detached that night. When the lights suddenly went out, plunging the room into darkness apart from the glow from the hurricane lamp, it was a relief. There was less chance of anyone noticing how quiet she was now and remarking on it.

They rounded off the meal with fresh fruit and coffee, although Claire passed on the coffee. Experience had taught her that it was better to avoid the malodorous brew that Moses concocted with such delight.

‘My heaven!' Jude put down his cup and shook his head. ‘That stuff is lethal. I mean, I like strong coffee but that's in a league of its own!'

Everyone laughed and started to regale him with tales of their own experiences with Moses' pièce de résistance although Claire didn't join in. All of a sudden everything that had transpired that day seemed to have caught up with her. She felt a shudder run through her and then another...

‘Are you all right?'

A lean, tanned hand closed around hers and her heart seemed to stop. Now it wasn't just the fear she had felt when they had outrun the rebel fighters that was causing her such distress but other memories, far more terrifying: Andrew holding her hands as he forced her down onto the bed; trapping her there with his weight as he ignored her pleas to stop...

A moan escaped her lips, like the tiny cry of an animal in pain, and she felt Jude's fingers tighten. ‘If you're going to faint then mind the table. You don't need a lump on your head to add to your woes.'

It was so ridiculous that Claire laughed. She laughed and she laughed until she couldn't stop. Everyone had stopped talking and they were staring at her but all she could do was laugh. Jude was worrying about her getting a bump on her head while she was remembering being raped!

‘That's enough now, Claire. You need to stop.' Jude felt a wave of alarm engulf him as he gathered Claire into his arms. She was trembling uncontrollably and his hold on her tightened a fraction more. What had caused her to behave this way was a mystery; however, he was less concerned about why it had happened than how he could stop it. She was going to make herself ill if she carried on like this.

‘Come on, Claire. Take a nice deep breath.' Holding her at arm's length, he looked into her eyes, feeling more concerned than ever when she stared blankly back at him.

‘What's wrong with her?' Lesley came over and crouched down beside them, her pleasant face filled with concern.

‘I've no idea but she'd be better off upstairs.'

Jude stood up and helped Claire out of her seat, swinging her up into his arms when her legs buckled. There was silence in the dining room as he carried her into the hall and up the stairs. Obviously what had happened had come as a shock to everyone.

‘Here, put her down on the bed.' Lesley had followed them upstairs. Scooping up the dress Claire had worn earlier, she unceremoniously tossed it onto the floor. ‘You don't need to stay, Jude. I'll look after her.'

Jude reluctantly laid Claire down on the bed, unable to understand why he was so loath to surrender her to Lesley's care. He had vowed after he had left the NHS that never again would he allow himself to become emotionally involved and he had applied that doctrine to every aspect of his life, too, not just to the patients he treated but the women he dated as well. Oh, he did everything that was expected of him and more, but he always held part of himself in reserve. It was a system that had worked well, one that he'd had no intention of changing, and yet all of a sudden all his protective urges were rushing to the fore. Relinquishing Claire to someone else's care was the last thing he could do, not even if his life had depended on it!

‘Has anything like this ever happened before?' he said roughly, ignoring Lesley's offer as it was easier than explaining his need to stay. Admitting that he could no more abandon Claire than he could fly to the moon was the last thing he intended to do.

‘No. Never. Claire is normally so calm and controlled. Nothing ever seems to faze her.' Lesley shook her head. ‘I really don't understand what's happened tonight.'

‘Could it be the stress of the attack?' he suggested, reaching out to smooth back a strand of silky blonde hair before he realised what he was doing. His hand fell to the pillow as a feeling of despondency engulfed him. He had no right to touch her, no right at all. ‘It was pretty tense,' he continued thickly. ‘I have to confess that I didn't think we were going to make it at one point.'

‘It's possible, I suppose, although it isn't the first time that she's been involved in an incident like that. A couple of times the truck ferrying her to the convent has come under attack.' Lesley sighed. ‘Maybe it's been building up for a while. I mean, she's been out here for two years now and that's a long time to be under such constant pressure. What happened today could have been the final straw.'

‘It sounds likely,' Jude agreed, darkly. Maybe it was expected of the nuns but to his mind there was only so much any human being could take. And Claire had obviously reached her limit.

He stood up abruptly, knowing that now wasn't the time to kick up a fuss. It didn't mean that he intended to let the matter drop; however, he would wait until he could speak to whoever was in charge of the convent before he made his views clear. Once again the realisation that he was allowing his emotions to get the better of him was very hard to swallow and he turned away. ‘I've some sleeping pills in my room. I'll go and fetch them. The best thing for her now is a good night's sleep—'

‘I don't want any pills. I don't need them.'

Jude glanced round when Claire spoke, relieved to see that she seemed far more alert. Although she was extremely pale still, her eyes were focused when they met his. ‘I apologise for making a scene,' she continued huskily. ‘It won't happen again, I assure you.'

She went to get up but Jude stopped her. As his hand closed around her wrist, he found himself marvelling at how slender it was. He could, quite literally, encircle it with his little finger and thumb. Once again all his protective urges rushed to the fore and once again he felt shock hit him in the gut.

He didn't do this! He didn't allow himself to feel this strongly any more. If he hadn't cared so much then it would never have hit him so hard when Maddie had died. He had learned a valuable lesson then, learned how to detach himself and feel only on the surface, never deep down; yet it was different where Claire was concerned. He couldn't seem to take that essential step back. What was going on here? Why had he, Mr Deliberately Indifferent, suddenly turned into Mr Overly Protective?

Jude had no idea what the answer was but it scared him to know that he had undergone such a massive change in such a short space of time. He had been in Mwuranda for less than a day and already he was turning into a whole different person, so help him!

* * *

Claire could feel the coolness of Jude's fingers on her hot flesh and shivered. Now that the memory of that dreadful night had started to fade, she felt better able to cope, although how she was going to explain her behaviour was another matter. Maybe it would be safer to settle for Lesley's explanation, that she had been under pressure for so long and tonight it had caught up with her. Telling everyone what Andrew had done was out of the question. She only had to recall what he had said when she had warned him that she would go to the police in an attempt to stop him. He had laughed in her face as he had stated that it would be her word against his, and who was going to believe the word of an embittered woman who had been dumped by her boyfriend?

‘You need to rest even if you won't take a sleeping pill.'

Jude's voice cut through her thoughts and she shuddered. She mustn't think about the past. She must focus on the present and that meant making sure nobody found out what had happened to her. Even if everyone believed her, did she really want to become an object of pity in their eyes? Someone who needed to be treated differently? A victim? Was that how she wanted
Jude
to view her?

The thought was more than she could bear for some reason. It was an effort to concentrate as he continued. ‘I suggest you take a few days off and give yourself a breathing space. If you want me to have a word with whoever's in charge then I'm more than happy to do so.'

‘That won't be necessary,' Claire said quickly. ‘And as for taking time off, well, I'm afraid that's out of the question. We're working at full stretch as it is and if I take time off then it will put the rest of the team under even more pressure.' Easing her wrist out of his grasp, she stood up before he could stop her. ‘I'm fine, Dr Slater. There's no need to worry about me.'

‘I disagree. It's obvious that you're far from fine.' There was an edge to his voice now but why should he feel angry about her desire to forget what had happened tonight? Why should he care? Before Claire could work it out he continued in the same biting tone.

‘I appreciate that you consider your work a vocation rather than a job but it would be foolish to risk your health. I shall speak to the Mother Superior and explain that you need to rest, Sister.'

Sister?
Claire wasn't sure why Jude had called her that until she saw the dawning comprehension on Lesley's face. She bit back a gasp. He thought she was a nun! Oh, she could understand how he had reached that conclusion. Between her choice of clothes and the fact that she lived at the convent, it was an easy mistake to have made. She was about to set him straight when it struck her that it might be better if she allowed him to carry on believing it.

Even though she hated to admit it, Jude Slater
disturbed
her. He made her think about things she hadn't thought about in a long time, made her aware of her own femininity in a way she didn't welcome, and it scared her. She had thought that part of her life was over, that never again would she be attracted to a man. Although she worked with the male members of the team on a daily basis, she had never had a problem with any of them—they were colleagues, no more than that. However, Jude was different.
She
felt differently around him. More vulnerable. More aware. Maybe it would be better if he continued to think that she was off limits.

‘Oh, but Claire isn't—' Lesley began, but Claire cut her off.

‘I shall speak to Sister Julie myself,' she said firmly, shooting a warning glance at her friend. ‘There's no need for you to become involved, Dr Slater.'

‘Fine. It's your decision, Sister.' He nodded dismissively, his face devoid of expression. ‘Just make sure you get some rest. You obviously need it.'

He didn't say anything more before he left. Claire listened to the sound of his footsteps echoing along the corridor, followed by a door closing, and only then let out the breath she hadn't even known she was holding. There was definitely something about Jude Slater that set all her internal alarm bells ringing...

‘OK, so what exactly is going on?' Lesley placed her hands on her hips and fixed Claire with a hard stare. ‘Why did you allow the gorgeous,
sexy
Dr Slater to think you're a nun?'